<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Pirates of the Outer Rim by aeagle624</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27163447">Pirates of the Outer Rim</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/aeagle624/pseuds/aeagle624'>aeagle624</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action/Adventure, CC-1010 | Fox Needs A Hug, CC-1010 | Fox is a Good Bro, CT-27-5555 | Fives | ARC-5555 Deserved Better, CT-27-5555 | Fives | ARC-5555 Lives, CT-27-5555 | Fives | ARC-5555 Needs a Hug, Canon-Typical Violence, Clone Trooper Inhibitor Chips (Star Wars), Clone Troopers (Star Wars) - Freeform, Clone Troopers (Star Wars) Need Hugs, Clone Troopers - Freeform, Clone Troopers Deserve Better (Star Wars), Comedy, Coruscant Guards (Star Wars), Domestic Fluff, F/M, Family Fluff, Feel-good, Female original character - Freeform, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Fox regrets shooting Fives, I took inspiration from a lot of different things, Incorrect Quotes, Life and Death Brigade vibes, Medic Droid (Star Wars), My First AO3 Post, My First Fanfic, My First Work in This Fandom, No Smut, OC, Outer Rim Planets (Star Wars), Pantoran (Star Wars), Pantoran OC (Star Wars), Pantoran/Twi'lek, Pirates, Planet Coruscant (Star Wars), Ratings: PG, Robin Hood Vibes, Second Chances, Slow Burn, Somebody Lives/Not Everyone Dies, Space Pirates, Star Wars swears only, Thief, Touch-Starved Clone Troopers (Star Wars), Twi'leks (Star Wars), carmen sandiego vibes, i’m writing this on my phone, lunar chronicles vibes, pirates of the caribbean vibes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 07:20:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,269</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27163447</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/aeagle624/pseuds/aeagle624</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>In Coruscant, nineteen-year-old Vallana Korden is saving up for the days she can finally leave this planet behind. When Vallana encounters Fives, a Clone Trooper with war-altering information, she is slow to trust this stranger but is inexplicably drawn to him, and he to her. As Vallana and Fives get to know each other their lives are changed forever for better or for worse.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>CT-27-5555 | ARC-5555 | Fives/Original Female Character(s), Fives/OC, Fives/Vallana Korden, Vallana Korden/Fives, oc/Fives</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Debt-Free and Loving It</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is my first time writing something creatively so constructive criticism is appreciated and I ask you to be patient with me please.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Vallana was descending toward the alley behind Gordo's Diner, her speeder just barely gliding into the parking bay before spluttering and dying. With a huff, Vallana dismounted from her speeder and headed into the diner through the back door marked for employees only. Once inside she traded her robe in for an apron from a hook near the door. She tied it around her waist and pulled her dark purple hair back into a high ponytail. Through a set of swinging doors that lead to the main dining hall, a pastel pink Twi’lek girl pushed through with her arms piled high with dirty dishes. When she caught sight of Vallana a look of relief came over her.</p><p>Vallana rushed forward and took some of the dishes from her. “Oh thank the force! It's insane out there, I've never seen such a big dinner rush! I think I saw someone eat a whole deep-fried Nuna, bones and all!" the girl said as she weaved her way through the kitchen around the cooks and dropped her load of dishes into the sink then took the rest of her load back from Vallana and piled them in as well. “You better get out there quick before all the good tippers are gone if you want to have a half-decent pay tonight. Oh- and Nigel's been waiting for you."</p><p>Vallana cringed at that. She hated Nigel. Everything about that Nigel made her squirm. "Thanks for the heads up, Kyla." With that Vallana straightened herself up, took a deep breath, grabbed a pot of caf, and pushed her way through the swinging doors into the diner. And just like Kyla had said Nigel was sitting at the bar waiting for her. His oily hair was slicked back and pulled into a tight low pony and he was using his pinky nail to pick his teeth, a half-eaten plate of deep-fried Gorg in front of him. Vallana screwed on a fake smile and braced herself for what was about to come. She approached him stiffly and not so gently set the caf down in front of him to get his attention.</p><p>"Nigel it's been too long. What brings you here? Never really took you for a small-time diner kind of guy." Nigel snorted, "That's because I'm not. I came here to discuss your payment. You're late. And you know how my father hates it when someone doesn't pay him back what he's owed in on time. And I'd hate for something to happen to that pretty face of yours-" Nigel reached out and dragged his greasy finger down Vallana's cheek, Vallana swatted his hand away in disgust. "You don't have to worry about me. I have the money I just need to get it together. I can have it ready by tonight once I finish my shift here."</p><p>Nigel scowled and pulled away, "Fine. Meet us at Cargo Bay 18 in sector I-9. We'll be waiting."</p><p>"If that's all you can leave now. I have customers waiting."</p><p>Nigel's scowl deepened. He tossed down a handful of credits, shrugged on his leather jacket, and left. Vallana watched until he was out of sight before allowing herself to relax for a second before moving onto the next customer, her hands shaking slightly from the encounter. No matter how many times she deals with those people it always left her shaken. </p><hr/><p>By the end of her shift, Vallana was exhausted. Kyla was right, it was unusually busy that night and it had left her beat. All she wanted to do was go home and sleep but she knew she couldn't do that. Not yet. Vallana checked all the doors were locked before trading the apron back for her robe, shrugged it on, and headed out back to her speeder. She slid her leg over the side and started the speeder. It spluttered to life then faltered. "No, no, not tonight. C'mon girl, please start." She muttered to herself, panic starting to rise within her. She tried again and again and still it wouldn't start. Annoyed now, she kicked it and it roared to life. "Yes! Thank the force!" she whispered to herself in relief before zipping off into the night her robe whipping the air behind her. </p><p>Her home wasn't far but it was easy to miss. There wasn't anything special about it, it was a simple ground-floor apartment but it was home. Her speeder slowed to a stop in front of it, she slid off of it and typed in her password on the keypad by the door. With a soft hiss, it slid open and Vallana breathed in the familiar scents of home. "Nana, I'm home!" she called as she walked in the door hissing closed behind her. Out from the kitchen, an AZI medical droid appeared. "Oh good your back. I was getting worried you'd forgotten the way," she drawled. "Haha very funny, Nana, you're a real comedian," Vallana said as she made her way to her room. Nana followed close behind.</p><p>Vallana knelt by her bed and pulled out a small box then opened it, pulled a couple of credits from her pocket, and put them into it. Inside the box, it was filled to the brim with credits. Her payment for that month to the Donnall Clan crime syndicate. Though they were on the smaller side they were still something to be feared on Coruscant. She closed the lid and made sure it was secure. Nana groaned, "Oh it's that time again? Well, get on with it then." She turned around allowing Vallana to remove her tool pack revealing a maintenance port with just enough space to store the box before putting the tool pack back in place. "Let's hurry this up I hate carrying this thing it feels so weird on my wires," Nana complained. "I know, I'm sorry but this is my last payment then we'll finally be free. No more Nigel, no more Donnall Clan, just you and me." Vallana said as she finished straightening the tool pack. Nana didn't say anything.</p><p> </p><p>The speeder held up enough on the ride to Cargo Bay 18. It only spluttered a few times and they were able to land without issue. "Stay close, Nana, a lot of unsavory characters may be hanging about," Vallana whispered. Nana's head bobbed up and down in silent agreement. Vallana slid off her speeder and hurried over to the large cargo bay doors, Nana hovered close behind. Vallana hugged her robe closer around her and flipped the hood up. The doors were already cracked open enough for them to sneak through. Inside it was dimly lit with boxes piled high on all sides, a large fan slowly rotated overhead adding to the overall eerie effect of the room. Nana's eyes barely illuminated the path in front of them enough to see where they were going. Vallana shivered and rubbed her arms nervously as she went to the right towards the usual meeting spot behind some large cargo containers.</p><p>Nigel was leaning against a cargo container smoking a death stick, its sickly fumes stifling the air around him the smell making Vallana nauseous. His friends stood nearby also smoking death sticks muttering among themselves. Once Nigel noticed Vallana he straightened himself and flicked his death stick into the shadows. "Vallana, glad you could make it. Not that I doubted you would. Now let's see the credits." he rubbed his hands together eagerly as he approached, his friends close behind him. Vallana moved behind Nana while keeping an eye on Nigel and his goons. She removed Nana's tool pack and took the box out from the maintenance port. "Here's your payment. Now, are we done here?" she snipped holding the box out for him.  Nigel snatched the box from her hand. "We're done when I say we're done," he replied shortly. He flipped the lid open and admired his bounty, a smirk on his lips. Vallana put the tool pack back on Nana then tightened her robe around herself in an attempt to calm her nerves. </p><p>Suddenly one of Nigel's goons hurried around the corner the direction Vallana had come. Out of breath and looking a bit pale he pointed towards the front and said between gasps of breath, "Boss, boss, we've got to go. The Coruscant Guard is here!" Nigel's eyebrow raised skeptically, "Are you sure? I've never seen the Guard in these parts."</p><p>"I'm positive sir, two whole shiploads of 'em!"</p><p>Nigel scowled, "Blast! We better hurry before we get caught." He turned his attention back to Vallana, "As for you, our business is done. Enjoy your freedom, Vallana." With that, he shoved the box of credits into a pocket on his leather jacket and he and his men ran off further into the bay. Vallana stood there in shock at what occurred. She was free of her debt now but not if she got caught by the Guard. The sound of footsteps quickly approaching from behind her brought her back to the moment. "Stay close Nana," she whispered as she quickly fled down the same path as Nigel and his men had taken.</p><p>The sound of footsteps continued to get closer and Vallana took a sharp left and squeezed herself between two cargo containers to the other side where she ducked down behind some more boxes to catch her breath for a moment. Her heart pounded rapidly in her chest as she listened to the sound of the footsteps receding into the distance as they passed her hiding spot. "That was a close one huh, Nana?" Vallana whispered. Nana didn't respond she was staring at something beyond the boxes. "Nana, get down they could see you!" Vallana whisper yelled as she stood up to push Nana down. "But I want to see what's going on! It looks dramatic and you know how I love the dramatics." Nana whined. </p><p>"I don't care! Get down I don't want to be caught!"</p><p>"Please! I promise I'll be careful! Besides who would be suspicious of a medical droid?"</p><p>"Anyone with half a brain would find a medical droid to be suspicious out here! Now get down!"</p><p>"But look! That trooper in the white armor seems to be seriously distressed and - oh- it seems he's trapped a Jedi and another trooper in a ray shield!"</p><p>At this Vallana faltered. "A Jedi? What would a Jedi be doing down here?" she mused, intrigued at the idea of seeing a Jedi. "Fine, you can watch but please get lower I don't want them to see you!" she relented. Nana nodded in agreement and lowered herself behind the crates. Vallana knelt back down and cautiously watched as well. From what Vallana could tell they had come in the middle of a confrontation between the Jedi and the white armored trooper. A white ray shield swirled around a Jedi with brown hair who wore dark-colored robes, which seemed unusual as the Jedi she was usually told about in stories wore mostly white and other light colors, and beside him stood a trooper with buzzcut blonde hair who wore white armor painted with blue along the arms. "-isn't capable of what you claim." The Jedi said. "He is!" the white armored one insisted. "I swear to you, General. You have no idea--" He was cut off when a group of soldiers from the Coruscant Guard burst in from behind him, pistols raised and ready to fire. The leader whose armor was mostly red was yelling, "Stand down, soldier! Stand down! Get on your knees!" The white armored one turned around and back away from the Guard a bit saying, "No! No! No! Stay back!" The red guard ordered, "Don't do it! Don't do it, soldier!" The white armored one yelled, "Get away from me!" as he reached for something Vallana could not see. "Fives, no!" the blue one yelled as the white one, now presumably named Fives, raised a pistol. The red one fired a single shot from his blaster, the sound echoed in Vallana's ears as she witnessed Fives drop his pistol and collapse to the floor. Vallana grabbed Nana and pushed her further down, her back now pressed to the crates, one hand over her mouth in shock the other wrapped around Nana. Horror gripped Vallana as what she just witnessed settled in.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Stealing a Body is Easy, Keeping it Hidden Not So Much</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As some of the initial shock wore off Vallana slunk lower behind the crates. She faintly registered that someone was calling the fallen troopers' name another demanding the ray shield off then another blaster shot. Vallana flinched and hugged Nana closer. Nana's gaze was locked on the fallen trooper, calculating. After a moment Nana abruptly turned her attention to Vallana. "We have to help him," she said decisively. Vallana slunk even lower, "Nuh-uh, no way. I'm good. I think I'm going to stay here." Nana sighed and took Vallana's face in her small metal hands and stared straight into her scared golden eyes.</p><p>"Vallana, I know you're scared and that's okay. But we can save this man and I know you're going to regret it if don't do something! Now, I have a plan but it'll only work if you're with me on this. So, what do you say? Will you help me save this man or regret what could've been for the rest of your life." Vallana blinked and shook her head in agreement. "Good. Now we don't have much time. My scan tells me his heart just stopped, so we have roughly 15 minutes to get it beating again before he has permanent brain damage. They already contacted support so an ambulance should be here to take the body away in the next five minutes that's when we make our move..."</p><p>And just like Nana had predicted the ambulance arrived within five minutes during which they were able to gather what supplies they could from the surrounding boxes in order for their plan to work. Vallana was still shaken but now she was determined to save this man. From behind the containers Vallana watched. The Jedi and the blue trooper were gone but the Coruscant Guard remained behind which didn't make what they were about to do any easier. They watched as they rolled out the gurney and lifted the body onto it. With no apparent need to move the body anywhere soon, they stepped away from the body to converse. Over the containers, she nodded to Nana before slinking her way through the containers towards the body, her robe pulled tight around her with the hood up.</p><p>Once she was close enough she slowly crept around the crates into the open and towards the gurney. Nana followed close behind. Vallana kept one eye on the Guard as she approached the gurney and just as she was close enough to touch the gurney, one of them noticed her. "Hey you, state your business," he demanded. Nana turned and directed her attention to the Guard who had spoken. It was the same Guard that had shot Fives moments before. "As you can see, sir, I am a medical droid. I was sent to prepare the body for transport with my coworker. Now, if you'll excuse us, we have a job to do. As do you I assume." Nana replied curtly. "I wasn't aware of any med droids being sent down. What's your number droid?" he inquired suspiciously. "My number? Right well you see, sir, my number might not be in your system since I'm relatively new and all..."</p><p>"Hmmm, we'll see about that. Stay right there." he turned his back on us and started contacting someone with the communicator on his arm. Nana nudged Vallana and they started pushing the gurney away. They got halfway to the exit before the Guard noticed. "Hey come back here!" He shouted. Vallana's heart started pounding as she sped up, pushing the gurney ahead of her. It was surprisingly heavy and wasn't as easy to push as she was hoping. A blaster shot flew past which urged Vallana to go faster. The hood of her robe fell back allowing her dark purple tresses to whip behind her. She risked a quick glance over her shoulder and was frightened to see just how angry the Guard was. They were far enough ahead now that Nana started on the hard part of the plan, the surgery. As more blaster shots flew past them, Nana tossed the damaged chest plate of the armor aside and cut through the thin black underlayer of the armor.</p><p>Vallana kept her head low as the ambulance came into sight. She could hear the Guards angrily yelling behind them as they continued firing off shots, some too close for comfort. With one final push, Vallana shoved the gurney into the back of the ambulance and climbed in after it, one lucky blaster shot cutting off a piece of her hair as she closes the doors quickly behind her, more blaster fire ringing off it. She hurried through the back and climbed into the front seat as Nana pulled a variety of surgical tools from her tool pack. As Vallana sat in the driver's seat she realized she didn't know how to drive this kind of vehicle. "Oh gosh, oh gosh, hold on tight Nana this may be bumpy."  With a deep steading breathe, Vallana gripped the wheel, sent a silent prayer up to whoever was listening, and pressed the button that looked the closest to the start button on her speeder. The engine revved and Vallana pressed down on the accelerator sending the vehicle forward and up, away from Cargo Bay 18 and the Guard.</p>
<hr/><p>Vallana didn't slow the ambulance down until she felt they had put enough distance between them and the Guard. She veered off the main roads and into a dark back alley where she parked it. Her knuckles were white from how tight she'd been gripping the wheel and her heart was still trying to beat its way out of her chest. She took a deep breath and slumped in her seat, relieved that they got away with it. "How's the patient Nana?" she called over her shoulder. All she got in response was a muttered curse. Vallana sighed, "I'm just gonna wait outside. Come get me when you're done." She slid out the door and leaned against the side of the ambulance.</p><p>The night had only gotten darker since she had first left to pay off her debt. How this night had taken a turn. As the adrenaline of the night started wearing off she realized just how tired she was. Her eyes started closing but before she could give into sleep she was startled by a cold touch. She jerked awake, afraid that she'd already been caught but quickly recognized that it was just Nana. Vallana rubbed her tired eyes, "So? How'd it go? Is he going to live?" If Nana could smile, Vallana would have sworn that she was beaming. "The procedure was a success! I was able to replace his damaged heart with the silicone one we made! I still need to reinforce his damaged rib bones with titanium but that can wait until he has some of his strength back. He's breathing again and resting right now. We should take him back to our place so he can recover in a more stable environment. And the Guard will be looking for their missing ambulance." </p>
<hr/><p>They spent the rest of the night pushing the gurney through the dark streets of Coruscant as the sun slowly started to rise. More often than once they had to duck down or hide behind something to avoid suspicion from early risers roaming the streets. By the time they got back to her apartment, the sun was high in the sky and Vallana was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion. She exhaled a sigh of relief, happy to be back in the comfort of her own home. She helped Nana get the gurney situated in Vallana’s bedroom and adjusted the oxygen mask they had taken from the ambulance on Fives’s face.</p><p>As she adjusting the mask she paused for a moment and took in his face. He had a 5 tattooed on his right temple, his hair was shaved short, he had dark eyebrows, and he sported a goatee on his chin. She also noticed a small scar on his head not too far from the tattoo. Nana broke the silence that had hung between them during the tense venture home, “I need to leave for a bit to gather some medical supplies. Can you stay here with him while I’m out? You don’t have to do much, I just would like someone to be near him if he wakes.” Anxiety shot through Vallana at the idea of being responsible for his well-being, “But what if he does stop breathing?”</p><p>”That’s what the mask is for. I won’t be gone long, I promise.”</p><p>”And what do I do if he does wake up? I won’t know what to do!” </p><p>“You’ll be fine! Just talk to him if he does. Let him know he’s safe.”</p><p>“But what if he’s dangerous? I mean, we don’t know why he had that Jedi trapped! For all we know he could be crazy!” <br/>
Nana sighed in exasperation, “Stars, Vallana, just tighten the restraining bands on the gurney around his wrists and ankles and you’ll be fine. Now I’ve really got to go. And you should get some sleep as well. You can hardly keep your eyes open!” <br/>
Vallana chewed on her lip nervously and nodded. With that, Nana left. Vallana took a deep breath and turned back to Fives. Clenching and unclenching her fists she approached his unconscious form once more. She nervously adjusted the restraining bands on his wrists and ankles, making sure they were tight enough that he couldn’t hurt anyone and loose enough it didn’t dig into his skin. He was cold to the touch so she took the blankets from her bed and laid them over his body, careful not to disrupt the bandages wrapped around his chest. Once she was certain he was comfortable she finally allowed herself to relax and laid down on her bed on her side facing Fives. As soon as her head hit her pillow, she was fast asleep drifting into a dreamless abyss.<br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. So You Just Stole a Body, Know What?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Vallana awoke the next morning and nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw the gurney with the stranger strapped to it in her bedroom. Then her memories of the day before came rushing back to her.<br/>Her debt repaid. A blaster shot. The escape. <br/>She shifted to an upright sitting position on her bed and stared at Fives for a moment searching for the rise and fall of his chest to assure her that he had survived the night. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it. She stood and stretched her arms above her head before moving closer to him and adjusting the blankets that had slipped to the side during the night. Her stomach grumbled loudly reminding her that she hadn’t eaten anything since before her last shift at Gordo’s. <br/>She made sure Fives was as comfortable as he could be before making her way to her apartment's small kitchen. She made herself a simple breakfast of bacon and a couple of over-easy eggs sprinkled with salt and pepper along with a cup of milk. She took her meal to the main room that served as both her living and dining area and found Nana floating over the couch watching her favorite holodrama.“Oh good, you’re awake, they’re just about to reveal who the father is! My money’s on Voric.” Vallana sat on the couch by Nana. “How long was I out?” She asked. “Oh, I don’t know, since I got back at least so seven hours?” <br/>“Huh, felt a lot longer. Did you get all the supplies you needed?”</p><p>”Almost. We’re all stocked up on bandages and bacta but I couldn’t find a strong enough painkiller just the weak over-the-counter stuff that hardly helps with headaches. Poor guy will have to tough it out. Oh! I almost forgot to tell you, Kyla sent a transmission earlier while you were asleep wondering if you were still on for tonight.”</p><p>”Blast I forgot, we were supposed to celebrate paying off my debt tonight! I should cancel it, right?”</p><p>Nana shrugged, “I suppose you could but she’s helped you out before when the syndicate had us take care of one of their members for ‘em I can’t imagine that this would be too different. Besides she’s always had a thing for clones.”</p><p>”You’re right. And I could use her advice right now. I’ll transmission her back after I shower. After all the action yesterday, I’m in dire need of one.” She gulped down the rest of her food and went back into her room to grab a change of clothes before heading down the hall to the refresher to take a shower to get all the sweat, grime, and the scent of burnt hair off of her.</p><hr/><p>An hour later Vallana came out of the refresher feeling more like herself. After sending a transmission to Kyla confirming that she could still come over that night she spent the rest of the day tidying up her apartment while Nana replaced Fives bandages and give him a new bacta patch. As Vallana was finishing cleaning up the dishes there was a familiar rhythmic knock on the front door. She shut off the water and hurried to answer it. As the metal door slid open a grin split her face at the sight of the pastel pink Twi’lek. Kyla’s arms were full bags containing all kinds of junk food and sugary drinks. Vallana grabbed her hand and pulled her in for a hug. Kyla grunted in surprise and after a second she hugged back then pulled herself away and held Vallana at arm's length while holding all of the bags in one arm.<br/>“Nice as that hug was, what’s gotten into you? Is everything ok? Did Nigel hurt you?” Her brow furrowed in concern as her gaze quickly searched over Vallana for any injuries. Vallana tucked her burnt piece of hair behind her ear, “What? No nothing like that. I’m afraid it’s a bit more serious than Nigel.”<br/>“What do you mean? What happened?”</p><p>As the front door slid shut Vallana stared seriously into Kyla’s eyes, “Kyla, don’t get mad but I did something and I need your help.”<br/>“Okay?” Kyla replied cautiously. “Okay, good,” Vallana led Kyla to her bedroom where she was keeping Fives and paused before opening the door, took a deep breath, then let it slide open. Kyla gasped behind her and her hand flew to her mouth in disbelief, the bags fell with a thump to the floor, momentarily forgotten. “Val, is that what I think it is?” Kyla whispered as they approached the unconscious form. “What... how...?” Kyla spluttered while gesturing at Fives. </p><p>Vallana chewed her lip nervously as she started to explain, “It’s a bit of a long story but the short version is he was injured and we couldn’t just leave him there to die so we brought him back her except now I don’t know what to do with him.”</p><p>”Well, Val, I’m not sure what you should do next. Has he woken up yet?”</p><p>”No, he’s been like this since we found him. Though he does seem to have a bit more color in his cheeks than he did last night. Nana says that besides his injury he is young and healthy and she expects him to make a full recovery but that’s only if he wakes up soon.” <br/>“Speaking of that old tin bucket you insist on keeping around, where is she anyway?”<br/>”Nana is in the kitchen cleaning and sanitizing her tools. Why?”<br/>”I was just thinking that since she’s not here to stop us why don’t we help speed things and help the trooper wake up.”</p><p>”I don’t know, Nana said it would be better if he woke up naturally.”</p><p>Kyla crossed her arms over her chest and rolled her eyes. “Oh c’mon what harm could it do? It’s not like it’d make it worse.”</p><p>Vallana thought for a moment then caved, “Fine, you can try to wake him but don’t be disappointed when nothing happens. His injury was pretty serious.” Kyla smiled and before Vallana could stop her, she pulled the oxygen mask off Fives’ face. Vallana gasped and tried to grab it back from her until she realized that Fives seemed to be breathing just fine without it. Kyla discarded the mask into Vallana’s bed and they both curiously leaned closer to Fives’ face. They waited with bated breath to see if anything changed. After a few minutes without change, Vallana was about to give up when she thought she saw his eyes twitch. She leaned even closer and at the same time, his eyes flew wide open. Kyla and Vallana both jumped away from him in surprise.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Two Girls and a Droid</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Fives felt pain. So much pain. That’s all he knew for what felt like forever. Then a new sensation hit him. The weight of something being removed from his face followed by the warm breathe of two somethings or someone’s on his face. His eyes groggily fluttered open. He squinted for a minute as his eyes adjusted, his memories slowly started to catch up to him. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">The inhibitor chips. Telling Rex and General Skywalker. Being shot. Then darkness. So much darkness.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Fives groaned and tried to sit up only to find that his ankles and wrists were strapped down. “What the-?” He murmured to himself as he tried to tug harder on a wrist restraint to see if it would loosen. That’s when he felt the eyes on him. He looked up from the restraint and saw a Pantaron girl with pastel blue skin and the deepest purple hair he’d ever seen and a pretty pastel pink Twi’lek girl both staring at him, mouths hanging open. The Pantaron blinked a few times then snapped her mouth closed. “Oh, um, hello,” the Pantaron said sheepishly while tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She cleared her throat and took a tentative step closer to him. “My name is Vallana and this is Kyla,” she gestured towards the pink Twi’lek, Kyla, who gave a small wave, “I’m sure you have a lot of questions right now and I’ll try to answer them as best I can. Your name is Fives, right?” </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Ya... my name is Fives,” he said slowly, realizing how dry his mouth was. Fives brow scrunched in confusion as he slowly took in his situation. He was strapped to what seemed to be a gurney in a small bedroom with two girls staring down at him. To say he had a lot of questions was an understatement, he had all the questions. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Starting with, how the kriff had he survived? He died, he was sure of that. He had felt his life fade away. But now he could feel his heart beating against his burning chest. Each breath felt like he was inhaling pins and needles. Even his head was pounding with pain. </span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">Fives broke the growing silence by clearing his throat. “Can I have a drink?” He asked.</span>
</p><p class="p1">
  <span class="s1">“Huh? Oh ya of course! You must be parched!” the Pantaron, Vallana, hurried over to some bags by the door that went into a hallway, grabbed a can from it, and brought it over to him. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>